Faith Guitars Mercury - Parlour Guitar

A little beauty, the mercury is a traditional short-scale parlour model. With the neck joining the body at the 12th fret - rather than the 14th - the strings are held at a slightly lower tension than on regular models. In order to retain correct intonation however, the bridge is shifted a little further down the body. These design characteristics mean that the Faith Mercury Parlour guitar feels remarkably easy to play, both due to the lower string tension and the slightly shorter neck. But as mentioned, the bridge is further down the lower bout of the guitar, so the string vibration is aimed right at the most resonant part, and what does this mean: Incredible power! So often people are blown away by how much volume and tonal projection can come from such small guitar. 

We must also mention the 'BNC Scoop' on some Mercury models. Simply conceived as a mini-cutaway to enable easier access to the upper frets, the BNC Scoop was initially requested by award winning, Nashville singer songwriter Beth Neilsen Chapman - who owned an older Eclipse series Mercury. We obliged on a guitar or two for her, and thought it was a great idea, and looked very cool too. So, now we use it on all Mercury models except Naked and Natural, both of which retain the original, simpler design. 

So, the exact tone of your Mercury Parlour model will be affected by the Faith Guitars series to which it belongs, and its associated tonewoods: 

  • Mercury models with Mahogany back and sides - such as the Naked SeriesNatural Series, and Eclipse Series - will give warmer tones, especially suited to strumming. 
  • However, Venus models from the HiGloss series - which have rosewood back and sides - will be brighter overall and deliver clearer, more pronounced bass frequencies. 
  • The Mercury Parlour available as part of the Classic Burst Series benefits from a wider, 45mm fingerstyle nut, as well as the darker, mellow tones associated with a Cedar and Mahogany tonewood pairing. 

All the detail above boils down to this: A guitar that is physically easier to play, sounds much bigger than you would imagine and is also simple to handle and transport. 

Mercury - Parlour Guitar - Products